It’s Saturday, our second day at the 54th annual Monterey Jazz Festival where we are onsite with a Mini-Amoeba store! Our tent has been jumping with festival goers who can’t get enough of the pianist Hiromi, whose newest release, Voice, has been flying off our shelves after her two performances at the festival yesterday. It’s Hiromi Mania! If you’d like to check out the piano magic, check out her albums on our site. Other hot items at the Mini-Amoeba include Richard Bona’s Ten Shades of Blues and Raul Midon’s Synthesis. 


Today we have a full roster of signings and it’s sure to be an amazing day for fans, who will have the opportunity to meet their heroes inside the Mini-Amoeba tent.

Donny McCaslin -- 3:30pm
Jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin got his start after attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, when he joined Berklee professor Gary Burton’s quintet, with whom he toured for four years. McCaslin moved to New York in 1991, working with bassist Eddie Gomez and then joining the group Steps Ahead, with whom he made the 1995 disc Vibe. McCaslin began to turn heads with his solo work in larger ensembles like Ken Schaphorst’s Big Band and Maria Schneider Orchestra, where his performance on the album Concert in the Garden received a Grammy nomination for “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo” in 2004.

Though not a household name outside of New Orleans and circles of New Orleans Rap fans, he was one of the undisputed pioneers in the city's scene. Like a hip-hop Zelig he seemed to exist in the eye of the city's musical storm, never to break out nationally but always respected by musicians around him. In a violent era that saw many of New Orleans' musical talents cut down at a young age, Smooth collaborated freely and frequently with members of warring camps, always appreciated and always relevant. It was with especially cruel irony that Smooth, a rapper gifted with both lyrics and flow, was felled by cancer of the mouth and tongue.

Tim Smooth was born Timothy Smoot west if New Orleans in the Kennedy Heights area of Waggaman, on the West Bank in Jefferson Parish. He took the title “the Knight from Kennedy Heights.” and began

 
WAR!
The Boswell Sisters vs. The Andrews Sisters

Last blog, we took a long, almost invasive and menacing look at one of my favorite harmonizing groups, The Ravens. This time, let’s meditate on two groups and the epic chaos that emerged from their earth-shattering battle for supremacy. Yes, we’re going to focus on the blood-thirsty Boswell Sisters and those daughters of doomsday, The Andrews Sisters. (This blog is not for the squeamish and will include death, destruction, and delightfully catchy melodies.)

Many people are already familiar with The Andrews Sisters, and because you, dear reader, are a person, I am including you in this assessment. What these same many people often don’t realize is that The Andrews Sisters actually based their act on another trio of singing siblings, The Boswell Sisters.

The Boswell Sisters were born in the first decade of the twentieth century and, in a show of musical savvy, they chose to be raised in New Orleans, the American music Mecca. By their teens, Martha, Connee, and Helvetia (they were given individual names to make communication in the house more efficient) began singing in movie theatres and on local radio shows, cultivating small celebrity and earning free popcorn.